Thicker Than Blood
by sofia313
Summary: Elijah was the only father Faith had ever known and when his life was in danger, she was willing to do anything to save him. Including making a deal with the man who wanted her whole family dead.
1. Chapter 1

_"Daddy! Daddy!"_

_Faith was sobbing hysterically as a pair of strong arms picked her up and gently pressed her against a wide chest. Her little hands took a hold of a white dress shirt and she smelled the familiar cologne. In that moment she knew that she was safe. Her daddy wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. He was the strongest and the bravest daddy in the world. He could keep all the monsters away._

_"It's alright, sweetheart," he hummed while calmingly rocking her in his arms. "It was just a bad dream. Daddy's right here."_

_She sighed and buried her face in his chest._

_"Don't go, daddy," she murmured._

_"I won't. I'm right here."_

_"Do you promise?"_

_"Yes, sweetheart, I promise. I'm not going anywhere."_

_Slowly she lifted her head and looked at him. He had turned the lights on. He knew that she was afraid of the dark. Her unicorn nightlight was always on; he had given it to her. He always gave her everything she wanted. He said that she was his little princess._

_"Can I sleep in your bed, daddy?" she asked._

_"Of course," he replied and tickled her nose._

_That made her giggle. She leaned her head on his shoulder as he carried her to his bedroom. Her nanny wasn't here when he was at home. She liked it when there were just the two of them. He played with her, read her books, watched movies with her, let her sleep in his room and made her pancakes. He couldn't cook many foods, but she loved his pancakes. _

_Sometimes he looked sad. She didn't know why, but she always tried to make him happy. He was the best daddy in the world. He was never mean or yelled at her. Sometimes she was afraid that he would go to heaven like her mommy and leave her. He had promised that he wouldn't, but she was still afraid. _

_She remembered being scared, hungry and cold. She remembered hiding from the bad people. Then her daddy had come and took her with him. He had promised to find her a safe home. He had bought her a big pink teddy bear and a coloring book. She had slept in the nicest bed she had ever seen and eaten as much as she had wanted to. _

_No one had ever been so kind to her, so she had asked could she stay with him. He had said that she deserved something better than him, but she hadn't given up. Now he was her daddy and she loved him more than anything in the world. He had promised to protect her from all the bad things. She also wanted to protect him. He was her daddy and she would never let anyone hurt him._

* * *

Faith looked at her father who had fallen asleep on the couch. He had been exhausted; she didn't think that he had slept in days. Not after Lucien had become the thing he was now. The thing that could kill her father and her whole family. All her aunts and uncles. She hadn't known them for very long, but they had already become important to her. Of course they had, they were her father's family.

Despite all their differences, Faith knew how deeply her father loved them. He had already thought that he had lost them once and he hadn't stopped grieving them. She couldn't let him lose them again and she couldn't lose him. He had been the best father she could have ever hoped for, she owed him everything. Now she finally had a chance to repay him. Carefully she pulled a blanket over him and touched his shoulder.

"I love you, dad," she whispered and straightened her back. Right now she needed to be strong. Silently she walked past the study and heard Klaus' tense voice. He was talking with Freya. Kol was in his room, pacing back and forth. He hated hiding in the compound, but right now they didn't have a choice. This was the only place where they were safe.

Hayley was in the nursery with Hope. Faith couldn't deny that she hadn't liked Hayley when they had met. She had been jealous because her father had immediately been so protective of Hayley. Of course she knew how ridiculous her behavior was. She was 19, not 9. Still it had been hard for her to share her father's attention. It had always belonged to her; he had never brought anyone in their home. She had always been his princess. Now she needed to grow up and look after him. After sneaking out of the compound, she picked up her phone.

"_Miss Mikaelson!"_ a cheerful male voice answered. _"How lovely to hear from you."_

"Mr. Castle," she murmured.

"_Oh please, call me Lucien."_

"Fine. Do we still have a deal?" she asked.

"_Absolutely. I'm a man of my word."_

She swallowed.

"Okay. I'm on my way there."

"_Wonderful! I'll see you soon."_

Faith closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could do this. She had to.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

Faith stood in the elevator and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Lucien had told her to wear something nice. As much as she would have wanted to do just the opposite, she had tried her best to comply. She had to, for her dad and her family. She still didn't know why Lucien had agreed to make this deal with her, but she was grateful either way.

If only she could be sure that he would keep his word… He had said that she would have to trust him. Obviously she didn't, she wasn't an idiot, but right now she didn't have much choice. She could only hope that he was a man of his word. The elevator doors opened way too soon, she wasn't nearly ready. Not that she thought she would ever be. She would just have to grow herself a backbone and get this over with. After taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the elevator and determinedly walked over to Lucien's door. It opened almost immediately after she knocked.

"Hello there," Lucien greeted her smiling. He was wearing a pair of black pants and a light blue shirt; he looked just as cocky as always. Maybe he had pleasant physique and undeniably handsome face, but she was aware that it was all just a mask. Behind his smile, there was something very dark and predatory. She had sensed it since the moment they had met. He had been very charming, planting a kiss on her hand like a gentleman, but she had always been cautious around him. Her father hadn't trusted Lucien at all and obviously he had been right.

"Please, come in, sweetheart," he said, taking a step back.

She obeyed without saying a word. Hopefully he wouldn't expect some meaningless chitchat. She had never been in his penthouse and despite the situation she couldn't help but to admire it.

"Well," he stated after a brief moment of silence. "When I told you to wear something nice… This wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

She turned to look at him and frowned.

"What's wrong with my clothes?"

She was wearing one of her nicest sweaters and a knee length black skirt.

"Nothing," he replied, visibly amused. "If you're on your way to the Sunday school."

She glared at him and crossed her arms.

"I tried my best."

"Oh, I know you did," he hummed. "That's one of the reasons I'm going to enjoy this even more."

She pressed her lips together, determined not to show him any fear. She was afraid, of course she was, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of breaking her.

"So," he continued, walking over to the bar cabinet. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Yes," she replied, way too quickly. "Sure," she added, trying to sound careless.

He smiled, clearly enjoying this.

"What's your poison?"

"Anything is fine," she murmured, silently cursing herself for not thinking about having a drink before coming here. Of course she hadn't thought of it, that wasn't what good girls did. She had always been a good girl, wanting to make her father proud. He had often said how proud of her he was. How lucky he was to have a daughter like her. Those words had meant the world to her.

As long as she could remember, she had wanted to be the perfect daughter. Her father deserved nothing less. He had always been there for her, looked after her, given her everything she could have ever asked. He was the most important person in the world to her.

"Alright, how does scotch sound like?" Lucien asked.

"Fine," she replied, trying her best to sound confident.

She had in fact never tasted scotch or any other alcohol except wine, but right now she needed to calm her nerves.

"Thanks," she murmured while taking her drink.

"You're welcome," he replied cheerfully. Bastard.

The light brown liquid tasted terrible, but she forced herself to empty her glass.

"Easy now, darling," Lucien hummed. "We're in no hurry."

She didn't reply to that, she simply asked him to refill her glass.

"Alright, one more." He paused and gave her a charming smile. "If I wouldn't know better, I would think that you're trying to get drunk. Surely that's not something that a sweet girl like you would do."

"Bite me," she snapped before she managed to stop herself. She wanted immediately to kick herself; that had been an incredibly stupid choice of words.

Lucien burst into laughter.

"My my, someone's impatient," he chuckled. "Don't worry, sweetheart, we're getting there."

Faith turned her back on him, trying to hide the flush rising in her cheeks. She really hated him.

"But as I said, we're in no hurry," he continued and took a seat on the couch, patting the spot next to him. "Come, sit."

She really didn't want to, but she didn't think that arguing with him would do her any good. He was lingering. Toying with her like a cat with a mouse. Once again she told herself not to show him her fear. Her guess was that would only turn him on. Reluctantly she sat beside him and emptied her glass.

"Better?" he asked, still smiling.

She didn't reply, she really didn't want to talk to him.

"I'm curious about something," he continued after a moment of silence. "You're a virgin, aren't you?"

She tensed, struggling to stay calm.

"So what?" she muttered. She didn't see any reason to deny it, he would see it soon enough.

"No, no, don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong about being a virgin. I'm just wondering why. Is it a religious thing?"

"No," she snorted.

"What then?"

"That's none of your business," she snapped, refusing to look at him.

"Perhaps not, but I'm still curious. My guess is it has something to do with daddy dearest…"

"You don't know anything," she cut in tensely. "Just drop it."

"Touchy subject?" he hummed smiling.

"Private subject," she snapped.

"I see. Well, I'm going to tell you what I think anyway." He paused and leaned towards her. "I think you're still daddy's little girl. That's how he sees you and you could never do anything to let him down. Am I close?"

"No," she muttered angrily.

"I think that I am," he hummed smirking.

"Think whatever you want, I don't care. You don't know anything about me."

"Oh please," he snorted. "The fact that you're here right now tells me everything I need to know about you."

She didn't ask what he meant by that, she didn't care what he thought.

"Do I need to remind you that you were the one who came to me, not the other way around," he continued.

"I'm aware of that," she replied coolly and hesitated for a brief moment before continuing. There was something she really wanted to know. "Why did you agree to make a deal with me? I mean… I don't think you have any trouble finding willing women in your bed."

"True," he replied smiling. "But this isn't about sex, not really: This is about vengeance."

"Yeah," she huffed. "I know you hate my family…"

"Yes, I do, but the person I hate the most happens to be your dear daddy."

Faith frowned.

"Why?"

Lucien's eyes darkened.

"Let me think… Oh yes, he took everything from me. He compelled me to think that I was Niklaus and that compulsion lasted for over a century: So yes, I was a bit upset."

Faith didn't know what to say, her father hadn't told her anything about this. Not that it mattered, she was sure that he has had a good reason. Her father was a good man, practically perfect in her eyes.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't like any member of your family, but your father is the one I want to suffer the most."

"I see," she murmured and tried not to flinch as Lucien touched her hair.

"The thing is that I have already won," he hummed. "I'm better than them in every way; I could easily kill them if I would so choose." He paused and ran his fingers over Faith's cheek. "What I want is to make them suffer and there is no better way than this. When your daddy hears what I have done to his little girl… It will destroy him."

Faith shivered, she couldn't help it. She knew that Lucien was wrong; her father was much stronger than he thought.

"How do I know that you'll keep your word?" she asked as calmly as she could.

"Well…" he hummed smirking. "As I said, you'll have to trust me."

"I don't."

"Clever girl," he chuckled. "However, I intend to keep my word. I'm not going to kill your family, not if you keep your part of the deal."

"I intend to," she muttered as calmly as she could.

He smiled and parted her lips with his thumb.

"I know you do. Shall we start the festivities then?"


	3. Chapter 3

**WARNING! Mature content**

**Part 3**

Faith closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Thankfully the scotch had made her somewhat lightheaded, but unfortunately she wasn't drunk. At least not drunk enough. Not that she could tell for sure, she had never actually been drunk. Stupid her.

She should have found some guy, any guy, and do this with him. At least then she would have been in control. Now she would lose her virginity to a bastard who would no doubt make the whole thing as unpleasant and humiliating as possible. It didn't matter. She could do this, she had to.

After taking one more deep breath, she opened her eyes. She couldn't hide in the bathroom forever. Right now she was only offering the bastard more entertainment. He was no doubt enjoying every moment of this. Determinedly she straightened her back and marched out of the bathroom. Lucien was still sitting on the couch; he had poured himself a glass of wine.

"Ah, there you are, sweetheart," he hummed smiling and got up. "Are we ready?"

No.

"Yeah," she murmured.

"Wonderful. This way."

Reluctantly she followed him to his bedroom. It was a very nice looking room, just like all the other rooms in the penthouse. She suspected that a professional had decorated the penthouse; every detail practically screamed "I have money to burn". The furniture, the rugs, the curtains, everything looked stylish and expensive. One lamp was already on in the bedroom, a small bedside lamp that cast soft and low light around the room. Faith looked around, trying to concentrate on everything except the bed.

"Nervous?" Lucien's voice suddenly hummed.

Faith turned to look at him and crossed her arms.

"Completely comfortable," she replied coolly. "Why do you ask?"

He smiled that obnoxious smile of his.

"You look nervous, darling."

Well, duh, you jerk.

"I'm fine." She paused, trying to find the right words. "What do you want me to do?"

He observed her for a moment before walking over to the bed.

"Come here," he hummed as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Faith swallowed and took the few steps necessary to close the distance between them. Reaching up, Lucien took her by the waist and pulled her down into his lap. He made her straddle his thighs and met him eye to eye. Her breathing quickened and her heart was beating faster, she couldn't help it.

Yet at the same time she couldn't help but to think how handsome he was. A perfect disguise for a deadly predator. A devil with the face of an angel. Lucien Castle was nothing but a monster. She needed to remember that. Suddenly he tucked his fingers under her jaw and scooped up her chin, thumb sketching aimless circles on her skin.

"No need to be afraid, sweetheart," he hummed.

"I'm not," she muttered defiantly.

He smiled and surprisingly gently gripped her by the back of the neck, bringing her mouth to his. It took a moment before her mind understood what was happening. He was kissing her. She was completely stunned, she hadn't expected this. What had she expected then? Him tearing her clothes off and forcing himself between her legs. That was all. Why was he kissing her?

His lips were moving slowly but surely, she felt his tongue tickling her lips. This wasn't her first kiss, she wasn't that inexperienced, but she had to admit that he really knew what he was doing. Finally his lips trailed away from hers, settling in the hollow below her ear and sucking until a pulse started beating in her throat.

The next thing she realized was that he was biting her. Not with fangs, with blunt human teeth. For some reason he didn't break her skin. His hands massaged her hips and thighs while he pressed his mouth to her s again. Faith's eyelids squeezed shut; she didn't like the confusion she was feeling. Her body was reacting to him, she couldn't help it. She gasped as he slid his hand under her skirt.

"It's alright," he hummed and continued kissing her.

With his thumb, he teased her as he made slow circles over her underwear. Muscles between her legs constricted as something trickled out of her. She was getting wet. A shocked noise whistled through her clenched teeth. What was happening?

Her heart raced and something wound tight in her stomach. Lucien increased the pressure of his touch and pushed into her. Her hips lifted off his lap and she came hard with a shuddering gasp. Lucien smiled as he as he pulled his hand away from her and kissed her under her ear.

"That didn't feel bad, did it?" he hummed.

Faith couldn't get a word out, she was too confused. Lucien's thumbs framed her jaw, tilting back her head. His lips were on her jugular, making her pulse spike with something strange. Not fear, something else. His slow, gentle bite and suction made her gasp. Again he wasn't breaking her skin.

His hands grabbed her sweater and pulled it over her head. The next thing she realized was that she was on her back underneath him. He shifted a little to the side and kissed her again long and slow while his hand roamed over her chest and neck.

She had no idea what was happening, why was he doing all of this. And how had he managed to remove her bra without her noticing? The lights in the room were low but she still felt embarrassed and exposed as he ran his fingers delicately over her bare breasts.

"Beautiful," he hummed: "Absolutely beautiful."

She couldn't say anything; she was too embarrassed. A gasp escaped her lips as he was suddenly sucking her breasts.

"Lucien," she managed to breathe out.

"Hmm?"

She swallowed, trying to regain at least a little control.

"Could you... Could you turn off the lights?"

He raised his head and looked at her.

"Why?"

"Please," she murmured tensely.

His lips curved into a smile, but surprisingly he nodded.

"Alright, sweetheart; if that's what you want."

"Thank you," she murmured.

None of this was going the way she had thought; why was being nice to her? What game was he playing? He actually dropped a kiss on her cheek before climbing off the bed. She barely noticed him moving when the room was suddenly dark and he was beside her again.

Of course he was aware that he could still see her, but at least she could pretend that she wasn't so exposed. She gasped as he suddenly took one of her nipples in his mouth and sucked. Instinctively she arched beneath him; she couldn't stop her body from reacting.

He moved from one nipple to another, over and over again until her breasts felt sore and swollen. She barely noticed him pulling her panties down her legs; not before his hand was between her legs. She cried out as he ran his finger along the outline of her slit.

"You'll love this," he whispered in her ear. "I promise."

Why, why, why? That was what she wanted to shout out. What was he doing to her and why? His fingers moved up and down; over and over again; finding all her most sensitive spots. At some point she felt his lips touching her ear.

"Breathe, sweetheart," he hummed. "This is going to get even better."

She had no idea what he was talking about; he already had her squirming and whimpering under him. She could't stop herself, no matter how much she wanted to. Or did she want to; she didn't know anymore.

"Lucien," she murmured; not sure what she wanted to say.  
All her words disappeared when his head was suddenly between her legs. She cried out in shock as she felt his tongue licking her. This was more than she could handle; she was shaking and panting uncontrollably. Her second orgasm was much stronger than the first one; it brought tears to her eyes.

"I must say that you taste delicious," she heard Lucien's voice saying. "So very...innocent."

She barely heard his words; a very important thought had just crossed her blurry mind.

"Do you...Do you have... protection?" she murmured: "I'm...I'm not on birth control."

"Sweethear," he chuckled: "I can't get you pregnant."

She was more than embarrassed when she realized what he meant.

"Oh... Right."

He kissed her on the lips; she felt that he had undressed himself. His member was at her entrance and he kissed her harder while pushing himself inside of her. It hurt; she yelped in pain.

"It's alright," he panted: "Open up, darling."

She didn't have time to ask what he meant as he suddenly pressed his wrist onto her mouth. Blood. She tried to push his wrist away, but she still swallowed few drops and started to cough.

"It's alright," he hummed and stroked her hair. "I took the pain away."

She was just about to snap at him when he suddenly pushed deeper into her. She cried out, but there was no pain; not anymore. He moved slowly at first; then faster and faster. Her mind was trying to process everything her body was feeling, but she didn't really succeed. She didn't know what she was feeling.

What she knew for sure was that she most certainly shouldn't have enjoyed this. Yet she did; or at least her body did. She truly hated herself for it. Hearing herself moaning certainly didn't help. Clearly he was enjoying himself as well; he was groaning and panting.

She wanted him to feel at least some pain; so she placed her hands on the muscles of his back, digging her nails into his skin. Unfortunately the sounds coming out of his mouth weren't ones of pain; quite the opposite.

He thrust into her harder; making her walls clenching around him. She barely noticed the piercing feeling of his fangs in her neck; her whole body was trembling. Was he going to kill her? She didn't know or really care. She had no strength left in her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

Faith opened her eyes, not knowing what exactly had woken her up. She was disoriented at first, like she would have had some very strange dream.

"Welcome back, darling," a male voice suddenly hummed, startling her.

It took a moment before she recognized the man lying beside her, playing with her hair. Lucien. He was staring at her intently.

"You've been out for a while," he continued. "How are you feeling?"

She was still somewhat disoriented until it all came rushing back. The deal. She had come to his penthouse and had sex with him. He had bitten her.

She panicked slightly; her hand instinctively touched her neck. There was no wound, but she noticed that a blanket was covering her naked body. Something Lucien must have done after she had passed out. Just like cleaning up the blood. Why? Why had he cared about her comfort?

"Why didn't you kill me?" she murmured after a moment of silence.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Why would I have done that?"

She pressed her lips together, avoiding looking at him.

"You bit me."

"Yes, I did," he replied.

"Why?"

He smiled and touched her cheek.

"I wanted to have a full taste. And I must say that your blood is delicious."

"Gee, thanks, I'm so happy to have satisfied you," she snapped angrily.

He chuckled, making her blush.

"Oh, I do like your spirit, darling." He paused and leaned closer. "You know… Things doesn't have to end like this. There's so much more I could show you."

Faith's eyes grew big.

"We made a deal," she stated as calmly as she could. "You gave me your word…"

"Yes, yes, and I intend to keep it," he huffed. "However, I do find you quite interesting. You can take that as a compliment, normally humans don't interest me at all."

"I suppose you want me to be flattered," she snorted.

"You should be," he replied grinning.

"Sure." She paused and carefully got into a sitting position. She had no idea what time it was, but she guessed an early morning. "Listen… Do you mind if I take a shower?"

"No, of course not," he replied. "Go ahead, sweetheart."

"Thanks."

She kept the blanket tightly wrapped around her body while getting out of the bed. Her legs were shaking a little, but she tried her best to look dignified as she headed to the bathroom. She most certainly couldn't go back to the compound without washing herself first. Just the thought of facing her father… No, she couldn't think about that now. She couldn't even look at her reflection in the mirror.

All she felt was shame, she was disgusted with herself. Could she ever be clean again? She turned the shower on and let out a sigh as the warm water touched her skin. All the shower gels Lucien had, were meant for men, but that didn't matter. She washed herself over and over again, praying that her father wouldn't hate her. What would she do if he would? She had no idea. Right now, she needed to concentrate on getting this over with.

Finally, she forced herself to turn the water off and wrap a clean towel around her. Thankfully Lucien wasn't in the bedroom, he had placed her clothes on the bed. All her clothes except her panties. She got dressed as quickly as she could and cautiously walked out of the bedroom. Lucien was sitting at the table having breakfast.

"There you are," he hummed smiling. "Come, eat something."

She certainly had no appetite, she only wanted to go home.

"No, thank you," she stated, struggling to sound polite. "I would like to go home."

He rolled his eyes.

"Fine. My driver will take you."

"Thanks, but that's really not…"

"I insist," he cut in. "I want you to get home safely."

Right, sure. She wasn't going to argue about this, she only wanted to leave.

"Okay, thanks."

He got up and walked over to her.

"Well then… I suppose this is goodbye." He paused and kissed her cheek. "Thank you for the wonderful night."

Asshole… She gave him a glare and crossed her arms.

"Our deal…"

"How many times do I have to tell you; I'm not going to kill your family. Assuming they're smart enough for not to challenge me."

"What?" she gasped.

Lucien smiled.

"I won't kill them, unless they attack me. In that case I will of course defend myself."

Faith gritted her teeth; she really hated this man.

"If you tell my father…"

"Oh, I'm sure you can stop him from doing anything foolish," Lucien hummed. "You're a smart girl, sweetheart."

Faith didn't reply, she was furious. She straightened her back and looked at Lucien coldly.

"Goodbye, Mr. Castle. Have a nice life."

She turned around and marched out. The driver Lucien had mentioned was waiting for her downstairs, she got in the car without saying a word. The ride back to the compound felt too short, although she was relieved to be home. That feeling didn't last for long.

"Faith?" Freya's voice called as soon as she entered the compound. She turned to face her aunt who looked very serious.

"Yeah?"

"Could you come here, please."

Faith swallowed; she could tell that something was wrong.

"Have something happened…"

"Come here, please."

Reluctantly Faith followed her to the living room. Her whole family was there, all of them except her father looked at her as she entered the room. Klaus and Kol looked very tense.

"Hey," she murmured. "What…"

Then she saw it. The box on the coffee table. Her eyes widened as she saw the bloody sheet and… her panties. That son of a bitch. Her father was sitting on the armchair, staring in front of him with a blank expression. He had a letter in his hand.

"Dad?" she said as calmly as she could. "I… I…"

She had no idea what she was trying to say.

"Tell me it's not true," her father finally said. "Tell me you didn't…"

"It's alright," she assured quickly. "I'm fine, I swear…"

"Are you out of your bloody mind?" Klaus growled. "You made a deal with Lucien?!"

She swallowed, struggling to stay calm.

"For you. For all of you. I wanted you to be safe…"

Her father was suddenly on his feet. The look in his eyes made her flinch, she had never seen that kind of fury.

"That bastard is dead," he growled.


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5**

"'_Look,' said the little bear. 'We found our way back home. We're safe now.'"_

_Faith sighed sleepily and curled up against Elijah's chest. Her little body felt warm. Elijah enjoyed reading to her, she was such a sweet child. His daughter. The first person who had ever loved him unconditionally. He doubted that he deserved her love, but he was more than grateful for it. For so long he had been alone, grieving for his family. She was the first light in his life for decades. She made him smile. Who knew that such a tiny person could hold that kind of power over him? She had wrapped him completely around her little finger. His precious little girl. _

"_Daddy?" she murmured sleepily. _

"_Yes, sweetheart?"_

"_Did you make sure there's no boogeyman under my bed?"_

"_Of course I did," Elijah replied smiling. "I also looked into the closet, no boogeyman there either."_

"_Are you stronger than a boogeyman?"_

"_Yes, I am. There's nothing my little girl has to be afraid of, I'm going to always protect you."_

_Elijah meant it, more than he had ever meant anything. He would have done anything for her. Just like any father would._

* * *

_Dear Elijah_

_This is a lucky day for you and your family. I was planning to kill you all, but then I got a call from that lovely daughter of yours. She was willing to do anything to save her dear daddy and I was feeling generous, so I accepted her offer. I must say that she tasted delicious and I don't believe I've ever popped a sweeter cherry. But no need to worry, she loved every moment, you should have heard how she moaned. You can thank me for making your little girl a woman. _

_Best wishes_

_Lucien_

Elijah couldn't move. The only thought in his mind was Faith. His little Faith. His sweet innocent daughter. Lucien had touched her. Hurt her. Forced her to… Elijah couldn't even form that thought. This couldn't be true. This had to be some kind of a sick game. Lucien was lying. He had to be.

"Elijah?" Kol's voice said, but Elijah barely registered his presence. Both he and Niklaus had seen the box. Elijah refused to look at it. Yet he picked up Faith's scent. He had seen her panties and the sheet. He knew what had happened to her. It was too much; he couldn't handle it.

"Elijah, she's here."

Elijah still couldn't move, not even when Faith entered the living room.

"Hey," she said nervously. "What…"

She didn't finish her sentence as she noticed the box. Elijah didn't have to look at her in order to sense her terror. Her heart was beating like a drum.

"Dad? I… I…"

It took a moment before Elijah found his voice.

"Tell me it's not true," he pleaded, although he already knew it was. "Tell me you didn't…"

"It's alright," she tried to calm him. That wasn't right, she certainly shouldn't have to worry about his feelings right now. He was her father, he should have been able to look after her, not the other way around. "I'm fine, I swear…"

"Are you out of your bloody mind?" Niklaus cut in. "You made a deal with Lucien?!"

"For you," she piped pleadingly. "For all of you. I wanted you to be safe…"

That was all Elijah could take. Someone had hurt his little girl. She had let that bastard hurt her in order to protect Elijah. No. No, he should have protected her. He had failed her in the worst possible way. No. There was no way in hell he would let Lucien get away with it. Elijah stood up, filled with rage.

"That bastard is dead."

"No!" Faith cried out, moving in front of Elijah. "Dad, listen to me…"

"He hurt you!" Elijah snarled. "I'm going to rip his heart out!"

"Stop it!" Faith shouted. "I'm not going to let you get yourself killed!"

"She's right, Elijah," Niklaus stated. "You can't just attack Lucien without a plan, not when he can kill you…"

"He hurt my daughter!" Elijah growled.

"I know and he's going to pay for it, but right now you need to calm yourself…"

Elijah was done listening to this, he was just about to zoom out when Faith pounced on him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

"Dad, please," she pleaded and burst into tears. "I can't lose you, I can't. Please don't go."

Her tears cut him like a knife and his need to comfort her overruled his rage.

"Please, dad, I need you. Don't leave me."

"No, no, don't cry, sweetheart," he murmured, feeling helpless. "I'm right here."

"Don't leave me," she sobbed.

"I won't, I'm right here."

"What's going on?" Hayley's voice asked.

"Not a good time, wolf girl," Kol replied to her.

"Elijah? Are you okay?"

"He's not," Kol snapped. "Give him a freaking moment."

Elijah was struggling to pull himself together, he needed to be alone with his daughter.

"Could you all excuse us, please," he stated as calmly as he could.

"Of course," Freya replied.

Faith didn't let go of Elijah, not even when everyone else had left the room.

"It's alright, sweetheart," Elijah assured, gently rubbing his daughter's back. "You can let go; I'm not going anywhere."

"Do you promise?"

Elijah's heart ached to hear her shattered voice; he was ashamed of himself for causing her more distress.

"Yes, Faith, I promise."

She still hesitated for a moment before letting go of him. Tears were coursing down her cheeks, Elijah wiped them off gently with his thumbs.

"It's alright, sweetheart."

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I only wanted you and our family to be safe, I didn't mean to upset you."

Her words were like a knife in Elijah's heart. Again, he was deeply ashamed of his selfishness.

"No, no, don't apologize. I…" He paused, forcing himself to block his feelings out. Her wellbeing was all that mattered right now. "Are you alright? Physically?"

She bowed her head and nodded.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Did he…"

"No," she assured. "He wasn't… rough or anything like that."

Elijah had to struggle to stay calm.

"Alright. Are you hurting right now, do you need blood?"

"No, I'm fine. He…gave me his blood."

They were both quiet for a while before Elijah managed to continue.

"You should have never…"

"It was my choice," she cut in firmly. "Are you saying that you wouldn't do anything to save my life?"

"That's not the same thing," Elijah murmured tensely. "I'm your father…"

"And I'm your daughter," she argued stubbornly. "You're my family. I love you and I would do anything for you. That's what families do."

All Elijah saw in his daughter's eyes was unconditional love. It brought tears to his eyes; he certainly didn't deserve her love.

"Faith…"

"I love you, dad," she said. "I can't lose you, so I need you to promise me you won't get yourself killed."

Elijah tensed.

"What he did to you…"

"It was my choice," she cut in firmly. "I chose to save my family and I don't regret it. Please, stay with me. I need you."

Elijah was quiet for a long while before he finally nodded. He wasn't going to cause his daughter any more distress, not after everything she had been through. Lucien would pay for what he had done to Faith, but not today.


	6. Chapter 6

**The story doesn't follow TO storyline, there are some major changes. Tristan and Aurora never came to New Orleans and Lucien isn't obsessed with Aurora. That was the reason why he hated Elijah more than Klaus. Also Jackson and Cami are alive and Lucien didn't make a deal with the ancestors.**

* * *

**Part 6**

Faith felt exhausted as she curled up on her bed. She had taken a long shower and wore her favorite pajamas. Right now, it felt comforting. She sighed and wrapped her arms around Theo, her old unicorn plush. She was worried about her father. He had promised not to do anything foolish and she prayed that he would keep his promise. She also felt ashamed, her whole family knew what she had done. How could she face them all? Thankfully she was too tired to worry about that right now. A sudden knock on the door startled her.

"Yeah?" she said, quickly getting into a sitting position. It was probably her dad and she needed to show him that everything was alright. That she was alright. The last thing she wanted was to upset him in any way. The door opened and Freya entered the room, she had a mug in her hand.

"Hey," she greeted Faith smiling. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Faith replied, trying her best to sound perky. Despite her exhaustion, she managed to place a smile on her face.

"I brought you a cup of hot chocolate," Freya continued.

"Thanks, that's great."

Freya walked over to Faith's bed and handed the mug to her before sitting beside her.

"Whipped cream and chocolate chips," Faith said as she looked at the mug. "This looks amazing."

"I'm afraid I can't take all the credit," Freya replied smiling. "Kol told me how you like your hot chocolate."

"Oh…"

Faith bit her bottom lip, she felt ashamed again as she thought about her uncles.

"What's the matter?" Freya asked.

"Nothing," she murmured, she couldn't look at her aunt.

Freya was quiet for a moment before gently touching Faith's hand.

"I'm not your father, sweetheart, you don't have to spare my feelings. You can talk to me, woman to woman. What ever you tell me, will stay between you and me, I promise."

Faith hesitated. On the other hand, she really wanted to talk to someone, but… Freya took the mug from her and placed it on the nightstand.

"Faith," she said and took her niece's hands between her own. "Talk to me. Are you hurting or…?"

"I'm ashamed," Faith murmured, she still couldn't look at Freya.

"What? Sweetheart, you have absolutely no reason…"

"Yes, I do. I don't regret what I did, I'd do it again if I'd have to, but… My dad… Klaus and Kol… The way they looked at me…"

"No," Freya cut in firmly. "You listen to me, what you did was incredibly brave. I just wish you'd told me…"

"Why? So you could have stopped me?"

Freya shook her head.

"No, I would have tried to convince Lucien to let me take your place."

Finally, Faith looked at her aunt.

"What?"

Freya smiled, but her smile was sad.

"I know men like Lucien Castle and I would have done anything to protect you from him. I know this makes no difference right now, but I'm truly sorry you had to go through that."

"No, no, I'm fine…"

"Faith," Freya cut in gently. "No need to spare my feelings, remember? Talk to me."

Faith shook her head.

"I'm fine. Fine. I went there willingly. I let him…"

She couldn't continue, a tear rolled down her cheek.

"I agreed to it. I…"

Freya wrapped her arms gently around Faith.

"And you know what?" Faith murmured, trying to swallow her tears. "I should have hated it, but I didn't. He made me feel… Things I've never felt before. What kind of a whore am I for enjoying it?"

She could no longer hold back her tears; she was sobbing uncontrollably.

"No, Faith," Freya said gently but firmly. "You're not a whore and I never want to hear you saying anything like that again. You're an innocent and inexperienced girl, nothing that happened was your fault. You were forced into that situation and sometimes our mind and body aren't in sync. What ever your body felt, you have nothing to be ashamed of."

"But…"

"You have nothing to be ashamed of. You're a brave young woman who was willing to do anything to save her family. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

Freya stroked Faith's back and let her cry as long as she needed to. When she was finally finished, she felt beyond exhausted.

"Aunt Freya?" she murmured hoarsely.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Could you… Could you stay here with me?"

"Of course." She paused and helped Faith lying down. "You just rest, okay? I'm right here."

Faith barely managed to nod.

"Thank you."

* * *

11 weeks later

"Who's daddy's little princess? You are. Yes, you are."

Klaus was smiling as he held his daughter in his arms. The sight was sweet and normally it would have made Freya smile. Not right now though. The atmosphere in the compound had been gloomy for weeks, even though Lucien had left town. Elijah hadn't been the same person after what had happened to Faith.

Freya had managed to keep him away from Lucien, begging him not to waste his daughter's sacrifice. Faith needed her father and Elijah had understood that, but it seemed that something inside of him was broken. He didn't smile anymore or pay much attention to anyone except Faith. Hayley had seemed very worried about him, although she was staying in her own house with Jackson again. Kol spent most of his time with Davina, clearly he didn't want to be in the compound. Freya walked past the nursery and headed to Faith's room.

"Faith?" she called while knocking.

"Come in."

The girl was sitting on the bed, she was still wearing a nightgown. The first thing Freya noticed was how pale and nauseous she looked.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I threw up, hope it's not a stomach flu or something. I felt nauseous yesterday morning too."

"Yesterday morning?"

She nodded.

"Yeah and the morning before that. Maybe it's something I ate."

"Right…" Suddenly Freya had a terrible feeling, but she was sure she was mistaken. She smiled and walked over to the bed. "Listen, Faith, do you have any tampons?"

The girl was clearly surprised.

"What?"

"I was just wondering if I would borrow few."

"Oh… Sure, but I'm not sure if I have any."

"When was the last time you needed them?"

Faith looked thoughtful.

"I'm not sure. I think it was before…."

She didn't finish her sentence, suddenly her face looked even paler.

"No… No, no, no, that's not possible."

"It's alright," Freya assured calmingly. "I'm sure there's some other explanation…"

"Oh god, I'm going to be sick," Faith murmured and ran to the bathroom. Freya hurried after her and held her hair back from her face as she threw up.

"It's not possible," Faith murmured. "It's not."

"I'm sure it's not," Freya assured. "No need to worry, we'll figure this out together."


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 7**

Pregnant. That was what Freya had said. Faith was pregnant. No… Her mind refused to accept that. This was a mistake. Or maybe a bad dream. This couldn't be real.

"Faith?" Freya's voice said. "Are you…?"

"No," she murmured. "I'm not okay. How… This isn't possible, you made a mistake. You need to do the spell again."

"Faith…"

"No, this can't be possible." Faith paused and looked at her aunt pleadingly. "You made a mistake."

There was pity in Freya's eyes as she took Faith's hand.

"No, sweetheart, I didn't make a mistake. I'm so sorry."

Faith felt nauseous and ready to burst into tears. This was a nightmare.

"What am I supposed to do?" she murmured.

"Nothing right now," Freya replied gently and touched Faith's hair. "You take your time and think about this. I'll support you no matter what."

It took a moment before Faith understood what she was saying. An abortion. Or giving birth to Lucien's child. Those were her options.

"How… How is this possible?" she finally managed to say. "He's a vampire, how…"

"He's not a normal vampire anymore," Freya replied. "Perhaps the ability to procreate came with the ritual."

"Why would he want that?" Faith murmured.

Freya shook her head.

"I don't know, sweetheart. It's possible that he doesn't know he can impregn… do this."

Faith wrapped her arms around her upper body, trying to clear her thoughts. She didn't really succeed; this whole thing was just too much. She was pregnant with Lucien's child. She was 19, she wasn't ready to be a mother. She was going to start college; she had no job or an apartment or… What the hell was she thinking, this wasn't some accident after a one-night stand. She would have never slept with the bastard if she would have had some other choice. She hated him. How could she have his child? What was this child? Then there was of course…

"Oh no," she gasped.

"What?" Freya asked.

Faith swallowed; she was feeling even more nauseous.

"Dad. I can't tell him about this. I can't tell anyone."

Freya hesitated for a moment before replying.

"He will know eventually. Unless…"

"Unless I end this pregnancy," Faith murmured.

"I'm not saying that you should," Freya assured quickly. "The choice is completely yours and as I said, I'll support you no matter what."

Faith buried her face in her hands.

"How could I have this… child?" she murmured. "Could I ever love it knowing who it's father is?"

"I believe you could," Freya stated quietly. "If that's what you choose."

"What about my dad? How could I ever tell him…"

"Sweetheart," Freya cut in gently. "Your father is over a thousand years old; he can handle this. What you need to think about is what you want to do. Not your father, not anyone else, you. No one else can make this decision for you."

Of course, Faith knew that Freya was right, but how could she make this kind of a decision?

"What is this child?" she murmured after a moment of silence.

"I'm not sure," Freya replied. "I couldn't feel anything… unusual."

"No horns and tail?" Faith huffed. "That's strange, considering the father."

Freya smiled.

"That's true, but no. As far as I can tell, this is a normal child."

"Like Hope?"

"I don't think so. Lucien isn't a hybrid and you're not a werewolf, so I doubt that this child would be like Hope."

Child… Her child. Her son or daughter. Faith sighed; she already knew that she wouldn't be able to terminate this pregnancy. It didn't matter how it had started and who the father was, this child was still hers.

"Aunt Freya?" she murmured.

"Yes?"

Faith took a deep breath and looked at her aunt.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone about this. I don't want anyone to know yet."

Freya nodded.

"I promise."

"Thank you," Faith sighed. "I need time to digest this by myself first."

"Of course, sweetheart. I take it that you have made your decision then?"

"Yeah, I have. I'm going to be a mother."

* * *

1 week later

"It's good to see you smiling, kiddo," Kol said.

"Thanks," Faith replied. "You too."

"Well… I finally have a reason to smile."

"I'm happy for you, uncle Kol."

She really was. Faith had been 15 when she had met Kol for the first time in Mystic Falls after her father had undaggered all his siblings. Back then Kol had been very different. Cold and dark. He had changed a lot after meeting Davina.

"So, how's your soup?" Kol asked.

"Delicious," Faith replied smiling. "Thanks for inviting me to lunch."

"My pleasure, I have some errands to run anyway. And you still have some shopping to do?"

His tone of voice was teasing. They had run into each other when Faith had been on her way to a department store.

"Of course, that's all we women do," she hummed. "Just ask dad, I have his credit card."

"Poor Elijah," Kol chuckled. "But the lunch is on me. Would you like some dessert?"

"Yeah, please. I would love a piece of chocolate cake. And maybe a smoothie. And a fruit plate."

"Anything else?" Kol asked smiling.

"No. Yes, a cupcake."

"Someone has a healthy appetite," Kol chuckled.

Faith blushed.

"On second thought, just the cake is fine."

"Nonsense," Kol huffed. "Waiter."

Despite her protest, he ordered her everything she had asked.

"You didn't have to," Faith murmured, feeling embarrassed.

"Of course I did," Kol replied grinning. "I'm allowed to spoil my niece when I want to."

"Thanks, you're sweet."

Kol frowned.

"No, no, no. I'm charming and irresistible, but not sweet."

"Sorry," Faith replied smiling. "My mistake."

She enjoyed spending time with Kol, he was fun company. Not complicated like Klaus. They got along now, but she certainly hadn't liked him right away. It had been difficult for her to simply forget everything Klaus had done to her father. Not to mention Klaus had been a real jerk when they had met. He still was sometimes, but she had learned to like him. He wasn't exactly an easy person to like, but he had his moments.

She had called him couple of years ago when she had gotten herself in trouble and hadn't wanted her father to know. She had been 17, a stupid girl who had thought that an older guy actually cared about her. Things had turned ugly, but she had managed to get out of the guy's car in time and ended up in the middle of nowhere. Klaus had come to pick her up. He hadn't lectured or blamed, he had simply taken her to a diner and told her to eat before taking her home.

"How's Davina?" Faith asked after a moment of silence.

"She's fine," Kol replied. "I'm taking her out tonight."

"Oh? Do you have something special in mind?"

"Maybe," Kol replied grinning.

"Well, I'm sure you'll have fun."

"Let's hope so."

Faith was more than satisfied after finishing all her desserts.

"Thank you so much, uncle Kol," she said and kissed his cheek.

"My pleasure," he replied smiling. "Have fun shopping, I'll see you tomorrow."

Faith was in a very good mood as she left the restaurant and headed to the department store. Tomorrow she would tell her family about the baby. Of course, she was nervous, but she was also somewhat relieved. She felt ready to tell them. Her father's reaction worried her the most, but she hoped that he would eventually be happy. He would have a grandchild.

She smiled while heading to the baby section, she had been dying to buy something for her child. Some cute tiny clothes and maybe some toys. She picked up several pieces of clothing and couple of plush toys, her shopping basket was soon full. She couldn't wait to show these to Freya…

"Hello, Faith," a familiar voice suddenly said, making her to drop the basket.

Oh no… Lucien.


	8. Chapter 8

**Part 8**

"Here," Lucien said smiling as he picked up Faith's basket. "Allow me."

His sudden appearance had startled her badly, but she managed to pull herself together quickly. All she could think about was her child. She couldn't let Lucien know that she was pregnant.

"I apologize if I startled you," he continued while handing the basket to her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked coolly. "I heard you left town."

"I did," he replied smiling. "But it seems that I have some unfinished business here."

"Right. Well, don't let me stop you," she huffed, trying to walk away. He blocked her way.

"What's your hurry, darling?"

"I have no reason to chat with people I don't like. Now if you'll excuse me…"

"Cute toys," Lucien cut in. "Who are they for?"

"If you must know, my friend is having a baby," Faith replied, keeping her voice cold.

"Hmm, how nice. What's your friend's name?"

"None of your business," Faith snapped. "I'm leaving now…"

"You want to know why I'm here, Faith?" Lucien hummed smiling. "A little bird told me something quite interesting." He paused and leaned towards Faith. "You're pregnant, aren't you, darling?"

Faith froze, she felt like her heart would have stopped for a moment.

"No," she murmured. "I'm not."

"Oh, I think you are," Lucien hummed. "In fact, I know you are. I can hear the child's heartbeat."

Stupid vampire hearing…

"Alright, fine, I'm pregnant," she snapped. "So what?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Well… Have you informed the father?"

"As a matter of fact, I have," she replied coldly.

"Really? And who might that be?"

"Again, none of your business."

"Hmm. You seem certain that I'm not the father," he stated smiling.

"Of course you're not," Faith replied as calmly as she could. "You said it yourself, you can't get anyone pregnant."

Lucien observed her face for few seconds, Faith didn't like the look in his eyes at all.

"Tell me who the father is then," he stated.

"No!" Faith snapped. "I don't have to tell you anything…"

"Enough," Lucien snorted. "We both know the child is mine."

"No, it's not, you stay away from me," Faith snarled, struggling to hide her fear.

Lucien smiled and touched her hair.

"I could easily get the truth out of you, but I already know that I'm right, so be a good girl and come with me. Let's not make a scene…"

The rest of his sentence turned into an angry scream as Faith sprayed vervain water on his face. She always carried both pepper spray and vervain spray in her bag. A firm kick between the legs dropped Lucien on his knees, giving Faith a chance to run for dear life. She was in panic; all she knew was that she had to get as far away from him as she could.

"Hey!" some woman shouted after her. Few people had seen her attacking Lucien, but thankfully no one tried to stop her. Faith ran as fast as she could, trying desperately to come up with a plan.

"Hey! Stop!" a male voice shouted. A security guard.

Faith headed to an emergency exit and yanked it open. She was running down the stairs when she was being grabbed from behind and pushed against the wall.

"Now that wasn't nice," Lucien snarled. "I wouldn't try that again if I were you."

"Let me go!" Faith shouted, trying to struggle.

Lucien turned her around, forcing her to face him.

"I advice you not to test my patience," he stated icily and grabbed her arm. "Move."

She had no choice but to obey, his grip was viselike. He led her out of the door and into awaiting car. She tried to open the door immediately, but of course it was locked.

"Go," Lucien said to the driver as soon as he had closed the door behind him. Faith's heart was pounding like a drum, she was trapped on the backseat with Lucien. She tried to get as far away from him as she could.

"That wasn't very ladylike behavior," Lucien stated after a moment of silence. "Honestly, I thought that your father raised you better."

"Let me go," Faith murmured. "Please."

"I don't think so," Lucien replied. "Not when you have something of mine."

"What?" Faith gasped. "No… No, this child is mine. You have no right…"

"Of course I have," Lucien snorted. "And may I just point out how rude you were for not planning to tell me at all."

"Why would I have told you?" Faith murmured angrily. "I don't want you anywhere near my child."

"Hmm. Too bad your opinion makes no difference."

Faith pressed her lips together and forced herself to look at him.

"Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see."

She tried desperately to think. There had to be some way out of this.

"Look, I'm sorry about the vervain and kicking you, but you scared me," she started as calmly as she could. "Could we please just talk about this? I'm sure you have a great life; women, money, parties, why would you want to ruin it? I'm not asking anything from you, you can just leave and forget this whole thing…"

"Do you really think that I'm worried about alimonies?" Lucien snorted. "No, I simply want what's mine."

"No," Faith snapped. "You won't touch my child."

"Don't you mean our child, darling?" Lucien hummed smiling.

"No, I don't. I'm not letting you anywhere near me or the child."

"That's not your decision, I'm afraid. But no need to worry, I intend to take a good care of you until you give birth. After that… well, we'll see."

"I'll kill you," Faith hissed. "I swear to God."

Lucien smiled.

"Oh, I do like your spirit. I have no doubt that we're going to have a lot of fun."


	9. Chapter 9

**Part 9**

Faith blinked her eyes and sighed sleepily. What a horrible dream. A nightmare. Thankfully, she was awake now. She stretched her arms and yawned while sitting up. What she needed right now was a nice shower, breakfast and… Suddenly she realized that she wasn't in her bedroom. No, the room was completely foreign to her. Quickly she got up and looked around. Where was she?

She ran to the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. No… It hadn't been a nightmare. Lucien knew about the baby. He had kidnapped her. The window… Quickly she pulled the curtains aside, only to notice the bars. Where the hell was she? It seemed that she was on a second floor, there was a garden outside. The room was large and stylishly furnished.

A king-size bed, a sofa, an armchair, a table, two chairs, a chandelier, an ottoman, a huge TV… She inspected the whole room and found an excessively big walk-in-closet with a dressing table and a bathroom with shower and a huge bathtub. A gilded cage. She had no intention of being the bird Lucien was planning to keep here. She would find a way to escape, no matter what it would take. The sudden noise from the door caught her attention, someone was unlocking it. Faith's eyes narrowed as Lucien entered the room.

"You," she snarled. "What the hell did you do to me? Drug me? What the hell is wrong with you, you could have hurt the baby!"

The thought hit her the moment she said it out loud. Her baby… Terror filled her as she touched her stomach.

"The child is fine," Lucien stated annoyingly calmly. There was curiosity and amusement in his eyes as he observed her. "I'm glad you care so much."

"Go to hell," Faith snapped. "This is my baby, of course I care! Unlike you! What kind of a person risks his child's life!"

"There was no danger," Lucien assured smiling. "I didn't drug you."

Faith frowned and glared at him.

"What did you do then?"

"Nothing. A witch friend of mine simply cast a little spell. For your own good, I can assure you. I didn't want to cause you any unnecessary stress."

"Are you kidding me?" she snarled. "You kidnapped me; you think that doesn't cause me stress?"

"You'll be safe here, darling," he replied, ignoring her question.

"Where?" she snapped.

"I think it's better you don't know that. Not yet anyway."

"What do you mean not yet?"

"Well… You have vervain in your system, so I can't compel you yet. After few days I can."

Her eyes widened as she gasped.

"What?"

He smiled as he took a step towards her.

"For your own good, darling. I don't want you to do anything… foolish."

Faith struggled to hide her fear, she couldn't let him do this.

"I see," she stated as calmly as she could. "So that's your plan? Making me a mindless puppet?"

He shook his head.

"No, I have no need to do that. I'll simply stop you from doing anything stupid."

"Stupid?" she repeated icily. "Like protecting my child?"

"Like harming your child," he hummed.

"That's your department," she snapped. "What kind of a monster would do this to the mother of his child?"

"What kind of a woman wouldn't tell the father of her child that she's pregnant?" he retorted.

"In your case, a smart woman," she hissed.

"Hmm. Not smart enough apparently," he stated coldly and turned to the door. "Someone will bring you something to eat soon."

"No, no, wait," she pleaded and hurried to the door. She needed to calm herself, hostility was taking her nowhere with him. Thankfully, he stopped and turned to look at her.

"Yes?"

She struggled to choose the right words.

"Please don't go."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

"Because…. I really need to talk."

"About what?" he huffed.

"About this baby," she replied as calmly as she could. "Why did you… What are you going to do to it? To me?"

He was quiet for a moment, observing her face.

"This child is unique," he finally replied. "Something this world has never seen before."

"Yeah," she murmured and instinctively touched her stomach.

"You have nothing to worry about," he continued smiling. "As I said, you'll be safe here."

"What about my family?" she asked, struggling to sound calm.

Lucien rolled his eyes.

"What about them?"

"I need to let them know that I'm okay. Please."

"No, I'm afraid I can't let you do that. It's better not to make this harder than it has to be."

"They're my family!" she snapped. "My dad…"

"I couldn't care less about your father," he cut in. "Or the rest of your family."

"You can't do this!" she shouted. "You have no right!"

"Yes, well, life isn't always fair, darling," he hummed. "You should be grateful I haven't…"

She slapped him as hard as she could. So hard that his head turned sideways. It all happened so fast; she hadn't thought before acting. He didn't move his head, he simply held still as his lips curved into a smile. A predator's smile. She swallowed and backed away, fearing that she had crossed the last line. Very slowly he moved his head and looked at her.

"That was a very stupid thing to do," he stated. "Fortunately for you, a physical punishment is off the table, but I'm confident I can think of something else." He paused and stepped towards her. "How fond of your memories are you?"

"What?" she gasped.

"Ah, it seems we have a winner," he hummed and cupped her chin. "I will teach you manners, sweetheart. That I promise."

She couldn't move as he marched out and locked the door. Tears were filling her eyes; she didn't even try to stop them. This was worse than a nightmare. There had to be a way out. There had to be. She needed to find a way to save her child and herself.


	10. Chapter 10

**Part 10**

Lucien poured himself a drink and took a deep breath. He was still furious. Damn girl. Perhaps she wasn't Elijah's biological daughter, but she had certainly inherited the Mikaelson arrogance. How dared she speak to him like that, not to mention slap him? He had arranged her an accommodation fit for a royalty and this was how she thanked him. A typical Mikaelson.

Lucien still despised all of them, even though he was their superior now. He was literally at the top of the food chain. He could kill all the Mikaelsons if he would so choose. He was invincible. Yes, he had achieved everything he had ever wanted. His life should have been perfect. For a while, it had been. The whole world had been open to him when he had left New Orleans.

He had traveled, thrown huge parties, enjoyed the company of gorgeous women, fed as much as he had wanted and so on. Everything had been perfect until one of his spies had told him about Faith's pregnancy. He hadn't believed it at first, not before consulting his most skilled witch. It was true. The girl was carrying his child.

He had needed a moment to digest this news. He would have an heir. Just like Nik. No. His heir would be more powerful than Nik's. A true miracle child. And Faith… Perhaps she had crossed his mind few times after he had left New Orleans, but that didn't mean anything. She didn't mean anything. She was nothing more than a vessel. An ungrateful brat. He was done trying to be nice to her. Damn ill-bred shrew…

"Mr. Castle?" a tense female voice said.

Lucien glanced at one of the maids.

"Yes?" he huffed carelessly.

"It's Miss Mikaelson… There's something wrong with her."

"What?" Lucien snapped.

"She's in pain…" the maid started, but Lucien had already zoomed out of the room. No more than two seconds later he was in Faith's room. She was lying on the bed in a fetal position, both hands on her stomach. Another maid was standing next to the bed.

"What happened?" Lucien demanded, startling the maid.

"I… I don't know, sir. We found her like this when we brought her dinner…"

Lucien pushed the maid aside and leaned towards Faith.

"Faith? What is this?"

She pressed her lips together and squeezed her eyes shut. Her forehead was beaded with cold sweat.

"Drop the act," he snapped. "Do you really think I would…"

Her eyes flew open as she grabbed his hand.

"It hurts," she murmured through clenched teeth. "Help me… The baby…"

A tear rolled down her cheek. She wasn't acting.

"Alright," he said as calmingly as he could. "Hold on."

Thankfully, he had already arranged her a private doctor who was only 20 minutes away. Hopefully, that wouldn't be too long. Obviously he should have been prepared for something like this, but he wasn't. Damn it. This wasn't supposed to happen. And of course none of his witches were here either.

"Alright," he repeated after calling the doctor. "Where does it hurt?"

"My stomach," she gasped. "Something's wrong… Help me…"

"It's alright," he murmured, giving her his hand again. "I'm right here."

He wasn't sure was that a good thing or not. At least she didn't tell him to leave, she squeezed his hand surprisingly hard.

"It's alright, just breathe…"

"I know how to breathe!" she shouted. "You need to help my baby!"

"I will, I will," he assured. "The doctor is on his way."

She shivered and closed her eyes again. Clearly, she was in pain. He bit his lower lip and concentrated on the child's heartbeat. It was steady so far, unlike Faith's.

"Look," he murmured. "I know that you're scared and hurting, but please try to calm down."

That sounded stupid even in his own ears, but he really didn't know what else to say. The situation was completely foreign to him.

"If I die…" she murmured.

"No, you're not going to die," he cut in tensely.

"If I die, tell my dad that I love him. Tell my whole family… I love them."

"Faith…"

"Promise me."

"Alright, I promise," he assured, hoping to calm her at least a little. "But you're not going to die, I won't let that happen."

She gritted her teeth and let out a weak whimper.

"No, you'll just take my memories…"

"I won't, I promise," he cut in. "I wasn't going to do that anyway, I just wanted to teach you a lesson…" he started before realizing that this certainly wasn't the right time.

She glared at him with her tearful eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that," he added quickly.

"You kidnapped me," she hissed. "You thought that wouldn't upset me at all?"

"I'm sorry," he repeated, trying not to cause her more anxiety. None of this was helping her at all. "Please, try to calm down. For my… your child."

"It hurts," she murmured.

"I know, I know," he assured and took her hand between his. "But you'll be fine. Both of you."

"You don't know that…"

"I do. You're a strong girl, Faith. A feisty girl. I know you'll get through this."

She didn't reply, but she tried to calm her breathing. He gave her an encouraging smile. She and the child would be fine. They had to be.


End file.
